Clear Skies Solar To Open Office In Greece

NEW YORK & LARISSA, Greece--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Clear Skies Solar, Inc. (OTCBB:CSKH), a leading developer and provider of solar power solutions, today announced the establishment of a corporate office in the city of Larissa, in Central Greece. Partnering with Larissa-based Aspen Energy, whose focus is the procurement of solar energy business opportunities throughout Greece, Clear Skies Solar (CSS) will serve as Aspen’s exclusive supplier of renewable energy technology and installation.

“We are extremely enthusiastic about entering a country that represents one of the fastest-growing markets for solar energy,” said Clear Skies Solar Chairman and CEO Ezra Green. “In teaming up with Aspen Energy, a locally based company, and combining our industry expertise with Aspen’s extensive knowledge of the country’s unique and rapidly expanding renewable energy needs, we are certain of our ability to anticipate and meet the growing demand.”

Due to government tax incentives, Greece has emerged as a leading market for solar power. In 2006, the country’s Parliament passed comprehensive Renewable Energy Sources legislation, part of which provides grants and favorable tax treatment as incentives for implementing solar energy solutions. For commercial entities, incentives in the form of grants can run as high as 50 percent of the total cost of a company’s solar system.

Furthermore, high levels of environmental awareness among Greece’s populace are a driving demand for renewable energy sources.

For its new office, which will be led by Aspen Energy Managing Director Evaggelos Tsoupakis, Clear Skies Solar will hire a staff of local individuals, with US-based personnel overseeing the location’s operational setup.

“This partnership will exponentially enhance our companies’ joint ability to capitalize on Greece’s burgeoning solar market,” Tsoupakis stated. “Given the strategic location of the new office, I am confident we will be able to proactively identify, pursue and secure a variety of significant business opportunities and this process has already begun with proposals submitted for a number of near-term commercial projects being evaluated.”

“Clear Skies Solar’s expansion and collaboration with Aspen Energy is simply a win-win for everyone involved,” Green added, “We look forward to many, many years of productive and profitable partnership.”

Going beyond its base in the United States, Clear Skies Solar’s Larissa office marks the company’s second expansion into the international arena. In April, CSS announced a $20 million letter of intent to develop and build a multi-megawatt solar energy system in Uttar Pradesh, India, that will power a steel mill and support the community’s energy grid system. For this project, CSS will provide technology, engineering and construction services. Additionally, the company will be available to support the system’s operational and maintenance needs.